Simmons Picks Pats by 1, Asks The Question, Are The Pats Hated?

GREAT column by ESPNsBill Simmons this week where he goes into why people nationwide may be sick of the Pats, makes his AFC and NFC Championship game picks, and writes some truly hilarious stuff. Here’s a sample.

• I can’t believe Troy Brown saved the day again. He’s like a 15-year-old rottweiler who keeps saving his family’s house from getting robbed even as they’re having the “should we put him down?” conversations every nine months. Amazing.

• I can’t believe how many readers predicted the following ending of the Pats-Colts game: Vinatieri shanks the game-winning field goal, rips off his jersey to reveal a Pats jersey, then runs across to the Pats sideline and jumps into Belichick’s arms as Jim Nantz screams “Noooooooooo! Noooooooooo!” and Peyton Manning breaks out the greatest Manning Face of all-time. Would I sacrifice three months of my life for this to happen? Yeah, probably.

And of course his Pats/Colts Pick,

COLTS (-3) over Patriots
I tried to fight it. Really, I did. I looked at it from every angle. I kept hoping the case for the Patriots would materialize. And I kept coming back to four things:

1. The Colts crushed New England the last two times.

2. Indy’s defense is good when they’re protecting a lead — they’re fast upfront, they can rush the passer from different angles, their secondary makes plays, and as they showed last week in Baltimore, they can even get a little physical. If they’re trailing by seven in the second half and you can run the ball down their throats? Different story. But that would presume that the Pats — with a patchwork offense that can’t produce any big play — could take a lead and hold it.

3. Vinatieri is looming over everything. There’s no doubt he comes into play down the stretch.

4. The only way Indy loses is if Manning gets rattled and kills them again. How many times can this happen? Ten? Fifteen? At some point, he has to come up big when it truly matters, right? Right?
The Pick: Colts 31, Patrio …

(Wait a second … if my life depended on this game, would I bet on Manning and Dungy over Belichick and Brady?)

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2 Responses to Simmons Picks Pats by 1, Asks The Question, Are The Pats Hated?

Uhm, in case you missed the last game in New England with the colts, the Colts did NOT CRUSH the patriots as you said. In fact the patriots were in the game till the end, if it wasn’t for several bad penalty calls…(a touchdown that should have been overturned) and a few turnovers that shouldn’t have been turnovers we would have won that game. The fact is even in that game, when Indy could have run away with it, they only won by a touchdown.

This game will be no different. The entire national media will say the colts will stomp the patriots but in this case it will be a hard fought battle, but in the end the patriots will do what they always do in the playoffs, come out on top and kick the colts. Adam Viniteri will miss a field goal in a playoff game in a dome for the first time. Late in the game about 5 minutes to go in the game. he will miss a 50-52 yard field goal. In the end brady will march down field with the score tied. 21-21 and score the game winning touchdown just under the 2:00 mark. 28-21. The colts will have a chance to tie with a touchdown on the final drive of the game with about 1:50 remaining after the kickoff. They will march down the field but run out of time to get into the end zone. Or the pats will get a fumble recovery or a pick to end the game. It will be hard fought battle but in the end fate will once again point the patritos direction. And the patriots will be moving on to superbowl forty one. Also the New Orleans saints will shock the bears in Overtime on a 48 yard field goal or a Brees Touchdown pass.